Woman left brain-dead after being hit by police taser

Trooper Cole claimed he had reached for his taser as he was worried Miss
Maudsley would be hit by a passing car. As to why he hadn't tried to
restrain her physically, he said he had been concerned they both would be
injured if he tried to tackle her to the ground.

He later added that he would not have done anything differently in light of
the outcome.

The police officer was cleared of any wrongdoing by theUS
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Florida Department
of Law Enforcement.

Miss Maudley’s mother Cheryl said she intends to launch legal action against
Florida highway patrol over the incident.

“Tell me that’s not excessive force. I’m not saying she was an angel, but she
didn’t deserve that,” she told local paper the Tampa Bay Times. “He couldn’t
just reach out and grab her? He was an arm’s distance away. My daughter is
dead because of this. She won’t come back.”

Miss Maudley had been arrested after allegedly leaving the scene of two
traffic accidents. She was later found to have had cocaine and oxycodone in
her body.

Experts in use of force expressed shock at the footage saying: "It just
doesn't make any sense. I don't see where it's going to be that hard to
apprehend her." Another expert called the police tactic "inappropriate".